


Tyrant

by Superhero Danvers (SlayerWitchCarpenter)



Series: What Do they Do To Humans? [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Adding characters as they show up, Canon Divergence, Dheronian (Race), Genetic Engineering, Kidnapping, Metahumans, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:58:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10064660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlayerWitchCarpenter/pseuds/Superhero%20Danvers
Summary: “Agent Danvers, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lillian Luthor. Welcome to CADMUS.”Manhunter AU: Canon Divergence





	1. Manhunter

 

“What do they do to humans?”

Kara askes, a lump forming in her throat at the way James had reacted to the name of the organization, wildly different to the way Corneal Harper had acted at the DEO. While Harper had a sense of pride about CADMUS, James acted in a manner of disgust, even turning away from Kara as he gathered his thoughts. The mention of Kara’s cousin did nothing to calm Kara’s rapidly growing panic, thoughts only of Alex in an organization that Kal-El hates with a passion, enough to not work with the DEO. When James sighs and shakes his head at Kara’s question, Kara swears she could feel her heart jump at the implication. James didn’t speak words, but his body language spoke loudly enough for her to hear loud and clear. It wasn’t good. Kara pushed the thoughts down with a heavy sigh.

When Kara saw Lucy escorting Alex out of the interrogation room, chain wrapped around her wrists to her waist, she knew she had only ever felt panic like that once before. The Geneva plane crash. She’d saved Alex then, and she was damn sure she was going to do it again. She couldn’t lose Alex.

“Does Clark know where it is?” Kara finally rounded on James, looking him square in the eye, begging for answers.

“No. No one does.” James bit out, hating to see Kara in such a state, a thousand and one emotions lighting up and darkening her eyes at the same time, wishing he could just once give her some good news. Give her hope like she gives him.

“I know what I have to do. But I'm gonna need your help.” James wasn’t expecting Kara to answer so quickly, so decisively. And he didn’t expect her to ask for his help. But of course, he found himself nodding instantly.

* * *

 

The knock at Kara’s door tore James and Kara away from their conversation, James jumping off his seat to get the door, and Kara sighing heavily for the 100th time that day, mentally preparing for what she was about to do. Lucy was an unknown to her. With what she did to Alex in the interrogation, Kara was panicked about how Lucy would take her secret, how Lucy would act. That’s why she needed James. A mediator. A known constant. Kara stayed sat at her counter, while James swung the door open, beckoning an exasperated Lucy into Kara’s loft.

“I don't have time for this.” Lucy breathed out as she stepped into the loft in her full military gear, levelling out her gaze at James.

“So you're back in the army.” James shook his head, looking head to toe at Lucy.

“And you're back in Kara's loft.” Lucy bit back instantly. “I guess nothing's really changed for either of us. Just tell me what was so important that I had to come here.” Lucy turned to look at Kara, her arms firmly folded across her chest. “What is this all about?”

“There's something you need to know.” Kara slowly stood up, relying on all the mental preparation she did to not fail her now, as she slowly raised her hands to her collar and pulled her shirt open, the dark blue garment with the crest of the House of El sat proudly on her chest, and reached for her glasses. Supergirl. Lucy stepped back, a loud gasp falling from her lips as she stared at the crest, before letting out a breathy laugh, shaking her head and looking back at James.

“It all makes sense now. I just didn't wanna put it together. I didn't want it to be true.” Lucy never tore her gaze off James.

“I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But you're the only person that can stop Hank and Alex from being sent to Project Cadmus.” Kara stepped forward, drawing Lucy’s sight off James and onto her, disheartening Kara to see Lucy look back at her in disbelief. Her plan couldn’t fail. Lucy had to be on her side if she hoped to get Alex back. She had to convince Lucy.

“Why would I help you? You and Hank. Why do you all lie?” Lucy spat out, eyes narrowing in anger at the thought of the aforementioned aliens, at the lies, keeping their identity a secret from the planet, keeping their identity a secret from their friends, their colleagues. Lucy saw the fight in Kara’s eyes lessen slightly at her words, only to come back three-fold in a matter of a second, as she straightened up and took on determined look Lucy had seen on Supergirl’s face many times.

“When you're an alien, and you've lost your world and you're dropped into a new one, you don't have a choice. When you are an alien, you're willing to sacrifice anything, everything, betray your fundamental instincts just to fit in. To belong somewhere, to find your place in this world.” Kara’s story struck a nerve with Lucy, but it wasn’t enough, they still lied. No matter what they said, they lied. Kara could still be lying now for all Lucy knew.

“If you have a problem fitting in, it's because you lie to people about who you really are.” Lucy narrowed her eyes at Kara, about to say more when James cut in.

“Lucy, are you really willing to let Hank become a science experiment? And- and who knows what they have planned for Alex.” James knew what to say to get Lucy to pay attention. Hank and Alex were her friends. Even if she just thought of Hank as an alien, Alex was a human. He needed to remind her of that. That CADMUS is an unknown, and they have their friends. Not an alien and a traitor. Hank and Alex. Lucy’s friends.

“I know you're feeling betrayed and alone, but if you go along with Jim Harper just to feel like you fit in, to feel like you belong somewhere, ultimately the only person you're betraying is yourself. It wasn't easy for me to show you who I really am, but I did it because I trust who you are, who you really are, under that uniform. And I trust you'll do the right thing.”

* * *

 

The stark white military truck barreled down the freeway, devoid of cars in the dead of night, 2 military personnel in the cab. The driver focused on the road ahead, the lookout clutched at his gun as he checked the mirrors, expecting nothing on the empty road.

In the back of the truck, J’onn sat to the side on a bench, chained by his hands to the bench, as Jim watches over him. Silent since leaving the DEO, J’onn has made no eye contact with him, content to sit in silence on the long ride to CADMUS. With the device in Jim’s hand, J’onn was unable to release himself from the chains, and unable to read Jim’s mind, leaving them in silence. They had been sat in silence so long it was almost a shock to hear Jim speak when he did. J’onn would have preferred the silence to the taunting sound of Jim’s voice.

“When we get to Cadmus, I'm gonna find out how you overcome peoples' minds. How you steal their bodies. What makes you tick.” Jim sneered as J’onn lazily looked over at the Corneal, looking away again instantly.

“You're gonna dissect me.” J’onn spoke quietly, in a matter of fact, yet bored, tone. Jim scoffed, drawing J’onn’s attention back at him, as he barred his teeth.

“Cadmus is not some Area 51 house of horrors, Martian. It's a necessary place. A place where we can unlock secrets to save American lives. _Human_ lives.” Jim spoke solidly, putting emphasis on human. J’onn neglected to say anything about the fact that Alex was human, and yet they’re taking her to CADMUS too.

* * *

 

Alex scoffs in the back of the truck, pulling at her own restraints, testing out the force she would need to break them, and whether or not she would break her wrists trying. The answer was yes, taking into account the still healing bone from when Kara broke it. It would not help her health to try to force her way out of the chains, so she spoke to the military official instead.

“So, you're gonna dissect him.”

“I'm protecting the world.” He replied, barring his teeth at Alex. His distaste for traitors was almost as high as his distaste for aliens. Almost.

“You're pathetic.” Alex spat, looking him in the eye as she spoke, forcing him to look back at her eyes, force him to watch the confidence in her body language, the fight in her eyes. But still, he despised Alex and her actions in aiding J’onn.

“And you're a traitor. So get comfortable, Agent Danvers, because you belong to Cadmus now.”

* * *

 

In the distance, motorbikes revved, building up speed as they neared the white military truck. The 2 bikes revved their engines as they pulled to the side, driving up a grass verge and back down onto the road, drawing the attention of the driver that they needed to pull off their plan.

“Sir, behind us.” The lookout spoke into his walkie, “Sir, we've got two bogies.” He looked between the two side mirrors, watching the movement of the bikes move around to his side of the truck, coming up on the right.

“Take 'em out.” Jim spoke into the walkie, refocusing on J’onn, who was focused on the device in Jim’s hand, the one stopping him from being himself. The driver started swerving to take out bikes, missing them every time, only succeeding in throwing Jim around in the back of the truck, who fumbled and dropped the device as he once again slammed into one of the walls. The lookout cocked his gun and leaned out of the truck window and opened fire on the two bikers. The bullets did nothing as the bikes kept up with the truck, one biker doing a wheelie to speed up, to draw level with the cab.

“They're wearing body armor.” The driver spat, annoyed, swerving again.

Jim reached for the device right as the truck swerved again, throwing him away from it.

The first biker drew level with the cab, pulling out a gun and shooting at the tire, popping it loudly and causing the truck to jackknife across the road.

Inside the truck, J’onn smashed his foot on Jim’s device, instantly feeling freedom as his powers returned, testing them by snapping the chains holding him down to the bench, leaving him able to stand up and slowly walk towards Jim.

As the army officers stepped out of the truck, guns brandished, the second biker, Kara, super speeds forward and ripped the gun out of his hands, punching him to the floor. When the driver fights, the same thing happens to him, the gun ripped from his grip and he found himself pushed to the floor with ease. The two bikers faced eachother, taking their helmets off at the same time, Lucy smiling at Kara. Wordlessly, they head for the truck door.

J’onn has Jim pressed against the wall as he disarms him, pulling the gun from his holster and tucking it into his belt. He spun him around, towering over the now disarmed man, a glare on J’onn’s face, a storm in his red eyes.

“Do it, do it, Martian. Be a monster. Prove me right.” Jim sneered once more, ready for a fight, ready to die to prove a point.

“I'm not gonna kill you, Colonel, I'm just gonna make you forget what happened here tonight.” J’onn placed his hand over Jim’s head, both of them convulsing slightly as J’onn removed Jim’s memories, riffling through them quickly, flashes of CADMUS coming across his mind, and then an unexpected image, which had J’onn reeling back in shock.

“Jeramiah.”

Kara rips the door off the truck, Lucy right behind her, and J’onn spun, grateful to see Kara, surprised to see Lucy, who wordlessly stepped into the truck, heading over to Jim with a pair of handcuffs in her hand.

“Hank.” Kara breathed out in relief. A relief that lasted a second. Less than a second. A fraction of time so small the human mind couldn’t grasp it. The truck had 4 people in it. J’onn. Jim. Lucy. Kara. No-one else. Kara’s eyes shot to J’onn, tears building up at the bottom of her eyes, a storm brewing behind those tears.

“Where’s Alex?”

* * *

 

The black truck stopped moving rather suddenly, the door ripped open and military personnel poured in, 2 bigger officers unclipping the chains from the bench, reattaching the chain to itself quickly, before each of them grabbed an arm and lifted, heading to the back of the truck and down the ramp, moving quickly inside through a door, which slid shut behind them, another, bigger, door stood in their way. That too slid open, and the click of high heels echoed in the small airlock room the officers were in. Into the light stepped a woman, clad in a dress and a lab coat, blonde hair tied up in a bun on the back of her head, a smirk on her face as she surveyed the image in front of her. Clasping her hands behind her back, she straightened.

“Agent Danvers, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lillian Luthor. Welcome to CADMUS.”


	2. A Luthor and a Danvers Working Together

“No, you listen to me, dad. I’m the Director of the DEO, and I am ordering a pardon on J’onn J’onzz and Alex Danvers. No, you listen to me!” Kara turned back to Vasquez, tuning out Lucy’s phone argument with General Lane, a last-ditch attempt to get J’onn back into the DEO. Lucy had Vasquez pouring over every CCTV feed, tracking the truck that J’onn and Harper had been in to see where any possible drop-off and transfer points could have been along the road, but with nothing coming up in the 4 hours they’d been searching, Kara was getting angrier.

“They can’t just disappear.” Kara ground out, tensing her hand around the pen she’d been nervously playing with, shattering the plastic case and sending ink rolling down her fingers. “I’ll clean this up.” She said to no-one, everyone instead focused on the footage.

“Ma’am, there have been no sightings of another truck anywhere near this one. I’ll check speed cameras again, widen the search area.” Vasquez turned back away from Supergirl, hardened expression playing on her features. She wasn’t going to let CADMUS hurt Alex if she could help it, not on her watch. She’d seen Alex in chains once already, and that was too many times. If only she could find that damn truck, she could find Alex and get her back. Vasquez stopped typing and turned around when she felt a gust of wind from behind her, already knowing that it would have come from Supergirl, no doubt off again to scour the city for the 11th time. Vasquez glanced once at the 24 hour countdown clock, shaking her head, and turning back to her computer, desperate to just find anything.

The wind whipped through Kara’s hair as she weaved through the sky high above National City and the surrounding areas, desperately listening out for Alex’s heartbeat among thousands of others. Years ago, when they were still teenagers, Kara had committed Alex’s heartbeat to memory. Whenever she was feeling overwhelmed, panicked, afraid, she would single out Alex’s heartbeat from miles away, the rhythm soothing her no matter the issue. When Alex went to college, when Alex was out of Kara’s range, she would feel lost, unable to know that Alex was nearby, that Alex was safe.

If Alex’s heart was event still beating at all.

* * *

 

“Luthor.” Alex spat as she was held up in front of the CADMUS leader by her arms, completely unable to fight back against the restraints Lucy had put her in.

“Please, call me Lillian. I know all about you, Alexandra Danvers. Yes. I think you’ll make a fine addition. Let’s walk and talk.” Lillian punctuated with a nod, before motioning to someone behind Alex, out of the agent’s sight. All Alex could hear was loud footfalls before the chain at her waist was grabbed, the operatives let go of her arms, and a hand was pushed against her upper back, steering her towards Lillian, and CADMUS. Alex tested the chains linking her hands to her waist to see how much motion she had, distracted from the tutting sound Lillian made, making her look up at her captor. “I wouldn’t try to fight back, Miss Danvers. And this place is lead-lined, before you get any ideas.” Lillian smirked as she settled into a slow stride towards the door she emerged from, the figure behind her pushing her with surprising force, the hand at her waist chain keeping her upright as she was directed next to Lillian, taking in as much of her surroundings as possible.

“I do apologise for the chains, but they are necessary for now. I’ve seen you fight. It was very impressive, not many people can say they’ve killed a Kryptonian. You’ll make a powerful asset for CADMUS.”

“What do you mean, asset? I’d never work for CADMUS.” Alex tried again to turn around to see who was behind her, a fruitless effort that lead to the hand on her back being moved to the back of her head, forcing her vision painfully forward, unable to look around the facility she was being frog marched through, a facility that reminded her of the National City DEO base, except, from what she can tell, it extends underground, while the DEO extends to the sky, seamlessly blending into the other National City skyscrapers, more like the base outside of city limits.

“We’ll see.” Lillian smirked to the side, eyes piercing Alex’s, enough to make the DEO agent internally shiver. “CADMUS are doing the work the DEO is too afraid to do. The job the DEO was so close to doing, before Supergirl showed up, but would never do with that alien running the DEO. You’ll see the light, Alexandra.” Lillian came to a sudden stop in the middle of a hallway, turning to Alex and raising a hand to Alex’s chin in a movement not dissimilar to Astra, another time when Alex was a captive. And again, Alex refused to believe that Supergirl was not coming for her.

“ _Nothing_ will ever convince me to work for CADMUS. You’re wrong.” Alex ground out, unable to move her head from Lillian’s grasp.

“Again, Agent Danvers, _we’ll see_.” Lillian’s hand dropped from Alex’s chin, moving to press a button on the wall, the door next to them sliding open with a hiss, revealing a small room with a large TV on the wall, to which she was pushed into, marched over to a chair and forced to sit, Lillian moving around in front of her and undoing her cuffs as the door hissed shut again, locking with a beep. With the person behind Alex keeping their hand on the back of her head and her shoulder, she was unable to get up, head forced forward as Lillian cuffed her hands to the chair. As soon as the cuffs clicked in place, the hands were removed from her body and Lillian stood up, walking towards the TV on the wall, arms clasped behind her back again.

The door hissed open again and the heavy footfalls got quieter, silenced once the doors hissed shut again, leaving Alex alone in a room with Lillian Luthor.

“Now, let’s watch a video.”

* * *

 

“Lucy.”

“J’onn is pardoned, but he can’t leave the base.” Lucy continued her stride down the hallway, not breaking when Supergirl landed next to her, desperate to get J’onn back into the control room now she had forced the army to leave and her dad to step back and let her handle the situation. “Kara, you need to rest.”

“And you don’t?” Kara replied, keeping up with Lucy’s pace as they passed through the hallways of the DEO base.

“Kara,” Lucy stopped suddenly, hand out, catching Kara as she practically skidded to a stop alongside Lucy. “I sent Alex there. I did. She would have passed that lie detector test and been free if it hadn’t have been for _me_. The only saving grace for me is that I didn’t know what CADMUS. But that shouldn’t matter. _I_ sent her there. I have to fix this.”

“Lucy… You were doing your job. I’m angry, but, I don’t blame you.” Kara shook her head. Alex had lied under interrogation. She’d almost gotten away with lying. She had gotten away with it, as far as the machine and Harper were concerned. And Lucy was right, she was the reason Alex had been arrested, but Lucy was also right, she didn’t know what that would mean for Alex. Didn’t know what CADMUS was. Kara of course was mad, pissed off, but mostly she was angry with herself. For not being able to find Alex. For failing her sister.

“I have to go get J’onn.” Lucy pulled away from Kara, stopping after 3 steps down the hallway. “Oh, Kara. Vasquez mentioned you. Kara, you. Said someone should keep an eye on Alex’s sister. I told her you’d do it. Obviously. Just a warning in case she asks.” With that, Lucy turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Kara with her own thoughts.

“Eliza.”

* * *

 

“This won’t work, Luthor.” Alex repeated, tensing under the cuffs, testing them for any signs of weakness.

“I agree with you on that. A simple video won’t work. But,” Lillian paused as the door hissed open behind Alex once again, lighter footfalls than before making Alex tense. This was someone new, not the person from before. “I do believe you’ve met our best scientist, Agent Danvers.” Lillian extended her arm as the CADMUS operative sidled up next to Lillian.

“Alex.”

“Dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for giving this a chance guys, we're going to be really getting into it next chapter where the warning tags come in. Hope you liked this, other chapters will be longer than this, this should be the shortest chapter in the entire story.

**Author's Note:**

> Had this idea floating around, hope you guys like it.


End file.
